97 pages • 3 hours read
Alan BradleyThe Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Flavia is a precocious 11-year-old. How does she compare to other famous “girl detectives” like Nancy Drew or Harriet the Spy?
Do you find Flavia to be a believable character? Why or why not?
How do the author’s extensive descriptions of Buckshaw and Flavia’s family history enhance the story?
Why do you think that Flavia has no friends her own age?
Discuss the changes in Inspector Hewitt’s behavior toward Flavia as the story progresses. What is his assessment of her by the end of the story? How does this differ from how other adults treat Flavia?
Flavia has a tremendous amount of freedom to pursue her investigations and to live her life in general. This would be less likely in the present time. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to the level of freedom that Flavia is given?
What effect did the story’s time period, 1950, have on the novel’s plot and background?
How has Harriet’s death affected the de Luce family’s relationships with each other? How different would the family be if Harriet was alive?
Inspector Hewitt uses the symbol “P” to represent Flavia in his detailed notes of the case. What do you think this “P” stands for? Why did Inspector Hewitt choose that to denote Flavia?
This novel won many awards. Why do you think it was so highly acclaimed?
